Introduction
Whose land are you on? This may seem like a simple question, with a simple answer. However, with a little research, you will find that within the United States, there are hundreds of Tribes that have and continue to maintain connections and sovereignty with land all over the country. So how do we acknowledge these Peoples and demonstrate our commitments to reciprocal relationships that uphold our obligations in public institutions?
The purpose of this page is to serve as a guide for thoughtful reflection and a starting point to empower members of the UIC community to connect with Native peoples and communities within and outside of the institution, as a way of bettering their understanding of Native people in a respectful way. We would like to emphasize that a land acknowledgment is not just a statement that is read or presented, but also requires ongoing engagement and action. A statement without action is not an acknowledgment at all. We invite you to reflect on these questions below as you craft your own statement and continue to foster respectful relationships with Native communities.
Who, What, & How?
Who can do a Land Acknowledgement?
Anyone can do a land acknowledgement. Native and non-Native people are able to give a land acknowledgment. Also, any profession can give a land acknowledgment, such as artists, cultural workers, public officials, educators, administrators, community leaders, organizers, etc. However, should you choose to do one, you should reflect on why you want to do a land acknowledgment and ensure you are engaging in best practices.
What is a Land Acknowledgment?
Acknowledgment is a powerful way of showing respect and a step toward correcting the stories and practices that erase Indigenous people’s history and culture and toward inviting and honoring the truth as well as collective action.
What is the purpose of a land acknowledgement?
When done appropriately, a land acknowledgment serves multiple purposes. The parameters delineated below are in alignment with best practices. They have been developed by Indigenous peoples to ensure that land acknowledgement statements include multiple components and, most importantly, serve as statements for accountability to action.
Land acknowledgements are living statements that should be revisited and updated to reflect the progress of actions taken in support of Native Tribes and communities. This also ensure statements are tailored to the audience.
- Take a cue from Indigenous protocols, which center relationality and relational accountability when introducing or opening space.
- Offer recognition and respect.
- Counter the “doctrine of discovery” with the true story of the people who were already here.
- Create a broader public awareness of the history that has led to this moment.
- Support larger truth-telling and reconciliation efforts.
- Remind people that colonization is an ongoing process, with Native peoples still working toward self-determination and flourishing.
- Commit to ongoing action guided by and in relationship with Native Tribes and communities.
How to Take Initial Steps Toward Creating a Land Acknowledgment
- Connect to Native Serving Organizations
- Questions for Reflection
- Why are you acknowledging the land?
- Why is your organization interested in creating a land acknowledgement?
- What are the names of the Tribes and associated Indigenous territories you are currently on?
- How can you make your statement meaningful and engaging for yourself and your audience?
- What specific actions are you committing to in order to support and include Native Tribes and communities?
- What is your plan for revisiting and updating this statement? Note that this requires upkeep of relationships and partnerships with Native communities.
Additional Resources on Land Acknowledgments
Land Acknowledgement Practices and Statements
Are you planning on doing a land acknowledgement? By Debbie Reese (Námbe Pueblo)
What do Indigenous leaders and history keepers really think about land acknowledgments?
Higher Education Action and Accountability Exemplars
The Northwestern University Native American and Indigenous Initiatives webpage includes links for what a Land Acknowledgement is and university commitments and actions.
TRUTH Project: Towards Recognition and University-Tribal Healing
Land Acknowledgement Walkthrough
Please take the time to write your own land acknowledgement. Below is language that you can use as a reference, but your own acknowledgement should be tailored to your specific purpose and setting. The information provided in brackets describes the minimum necessary components for crafting a land acknowledgment that aligns with best practices.
[Start with a statement that helps ground the audience in your setting’s purpose for presenting a land acknowledgement.]
In the spirit of healing and building a better and more inclusive future, we acknowledge that we are on land that Native peoples have inhabited since time immemorial.
[Name the Tribes who know this area as their ancestral and current homelands.]
Aligning with our commitments to progress institutional policies and practices that honor and support increased representation, participation, and success of Native peoples at the University of Illinois Chicago, we acknowledge the original peoples of the Chicagoland area – the Anishinaabeh [Ah-Nish-Ah-Naa-Beh], Potawatomi [paw-tuh-waa-tuh-mee], Odawa [oh-da-wah] and Ojibwe [Oh-jib-way] Nations, collectively known as the Three Fires Confederacy, as well as other Tribal Nations that know this area as their homelands, including the Menominee [meh-naa-muh-nee], Ho-Chunk [ho-chunk], Myaamia [me-ah-mee-uh], Peoria [pee-or-ee-uh], and Sac [sak] and Fox [faaks].
[Acknowledge the historical and contemporary effects of colonization. Be sure to recognize the continued efforts of Tribes and Native communities in maintaining and strengthening their self-determination and well-being.]
These Nations and their peoples have survived unimaginably horrific forced removal and genocide, yet they resist and persist, continuing to survive and thrive in the present day.
As a result of US federal policies in the mid 20th century aimed at terminating Tribal communities and sovereignty, thousands of Native Americans were relocated to urban centers with false promises of economic and other opportunities. Chicago was a primary site for these relocation efforts.
[Provide specific examples that relate to the setting you are representing and the audience you are addressing.]
Native people in Chicago engage in ongoing collective efforts to preserve their cultures and create community. Members of that community founded the first state office in Illinois focused on supporting UIC’s accountability to uphold federal trust responsibilities. That program is the Native American Support Program here at UIC, which was founded in 1971 to ensure Native American success in higher education. The strengths of the multi-Tribal Native community in Chicago can be seen through the numerous organizations and satellite Tribal Nation offices throughout the city.
[Land acknowledgements are understood by Indigenous peoples as commitments to purposeful and measurable ongoing actions that repair harm and achieve meaningful representation, involvement, and success of Native people within the setting you are speaking for. Land acknowledgments help settings hold themselves accountable to Native Tribes and communities.]
At UIC, we know that ‘acknowledge’ is a verb; it requires action. As part of a federal land grant university system, UIC has trust responsibilities to Native Americans codified by law and upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court. This acknowledgment demonstrates… [Insert the specific actions that your setting commits to engaging in.]
Do you have questions or need assistance?
We are here to support all members of the UIC community and look forward to partnering with you. If you have additional questions or needs related to land acknowledgements, please complete the form below.